It’s interesting to refer to myself as a millennial because we get a pretty bad rap as job-hoppers and, well, I’ve been with the same company for eight years — but context is important.

I have been with the same company for eight years but in three departments working four different roles, the current one being my longest stint at four years.

While my employer has not changed, my roles certainly have, and they have felt like entirely new jobs despite walking through the same gates, greeting more or less the same people, and complaining about the canteen’s food for the better part of a decade.

In that sense, I track pretty evenly with my friends and cohorts who have worked at numerous companies since graduation in 2011, I just happen to have had opportunities to transition into new positions, upskill in other fields and gain experience in areas without ever having to update my pension scheme.

A recent poll by Gallup in the United States focused on ‘How Millennials Want to Live and Work’, zeroing in on, among other things, what they want from their workplace and how organisations can attract, engage, and retain them.

It revealed that 21 per cent of millennials had changed jobs in the past year and that 60 per cent said they were open to a new job opportunity with the majority not being engaged at their workplace.

When considering if it’s the right time to change jobs, the decision is not one to be taken lightly as this will literally impact all aspects of your life for the foreseeable future.

Consider if you are moving towards a good job or simply trying to get away from a bad one as your income, time, and personal well-being will all now be dependent on this unknown variable.

CHALLENGE

Does the prospective job offer opportunities to flex your muscles, physical or otherwise, and challenge you to operate at a higher level by becoming more efficient and better at management of time and people?

If not, then maybe it’s not for you.

The thing about working within your comfort zone all the time is that it gets pretty boring very fast.

GROWTH

If you have been doing the same job for some time and realise there is little to no room for growth professionally then it quickly becomes a dead-end job. Many times this is due to no fault of the employer but just the nature of the business.

With that said, while helping a company achieve its mandate is great, you should not have to sacrifice your personal development for it. It’s cliché but, you are not a tree, move!

MONEY

Let’s not beat around the bush, money almost always plays a factor in moves. You either don’t make enough or you just see an opportunity to make more.

While I have never made a move solely for a raise, money should factor into the decision-making process. Heck, people have left jobs for less so they can have more free time or greater peace of mind. You really can’t put a price on some things.

LEARNING

You need to always be open to learning new things and relearning old functions, even at a different job. Regardless of the offer, what can the company and its team teach you and how will it impact your life?

Change should be about betterment and mastery. Don’t compromise on that.

— Paul Allen